Not Florida: The reasons to take Rand Paul seriously, Democrats ready to slam Ryan budget, and will overhauling GOP primary calendar work?

Video: 2013 Gun debate

Florida

Crist would crush Scott in 2014 race, Quinnipiac poll finds

Gov. Rick Scott would lose handily to former Gov. Charlie Crist in a matchup for governor in 2014, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll. Crist, a Republican-turned-Independent-turned-Democrat, would beat Scott, a Republican, by a margin of 50 percent to 34 percent, the poll found. Miami Heraldhttp://tinyurl.com/bnr63na

Five things to look for in Wednesday's legislative session

Poll numbers on Gov. Scott should make a provocative start to a day filled with several compelling legislative issues. The House Appropriation Committee addresses for the first time how to spend about $200 million that Florida received last year in a national mortgage settlement. House leaders are looking to use the money for housing assistance for veterans, teachers and others. Miami Herald http://tinyurl.com/c8qeotm

First look at new Florida Chamber poll: More Floridians think state is headed in right direction

Voters are about equally divided on the direction in which Florida is headed, with a slight advantage to wrong direction according to a new poll taken for the Florida Chamber of Commerce. The poll, taken by Cherry Communications, finds thirty-six (36) percent of likely Florida voters believe the state is headed in the right direction, an increase from a similar poll taken last year which found that 32% of likely voters thought Florida was on the right track. The new poll also shows thirty-nine (39) percent of likely voters believe the state is headed in the wrong direction as opposed to last year when almost a majority of likely voters — 48% — thought the state was headed the wrong way. SaintPetersBlog http://tinyurl.com/ctnyttc

House committee approves ethics bill

A wide-ranging ethics bill won unanimous approval Tuesday in its first committee, though it might see some changes after concerns were expressed about its language. The bill would give the Florida Commission on Ethics more power to collect fines, extend the statute of limitations on violations from four to 20 years and prohibit a House speaker and Senate president from lobbying state agencies and the Legislature until two years after leaving office. It also would ban lawmakers from taking state jobs and require lawmakers to undergo ethics training. Associated Presshttp://tinyurl.com/d4nfzyt

Negron files bill offering alternative to Medicaid expansion

A Healthy Florida proposal, the Senate’s alternative to expansion of the Medicaid program as called for by the Affordable Care Act, has been filed and will be heard Thursday in the Senate Appropriations Committee meeting. The idea is to comply with the ACA intent to provide health coverage to the uninsured living on an income at or below 138 percent of the federal poverty level. If the plan is approved by Washington then Florida would qualify for about $51 billion in subsidies with the state paying about $3 billion to cover an additional 1 million Floridians. Florida Currenthttp://tinyurl.com/c7834lg

Scott likely to support Senate alternative to Medicaid expansion

Gov. Rick Scott said his objective in supporting Medicaid expansion was to ensure Florida doesn't turn down billions of federal dollars to help reduce the number of uninsured residents. He believes the Senate alternative that is taking shape does just that, so Scott now indicates he would sign off on that plan. "My understanding is it's consistent with what I said I would support," Scott told theTimes/Herald exclusively Tuesday. "It's 100 percent federal funding. It's taking care of the uninsured. It's using the two Medicaid waivers that I was able to get that will give us more flexibility. And it's going to deal with cost, quality and access to care." Tampa Bay Times http://tinyurl.com/d58aj6a

Legislators scramble to return tainted gambling cash

Shamed by the notion that they may have filled their political coffers with more than $1.4 million in campaign cash from a phony veterans group facing charges of illegal gambling, the Florida Legislature is scrambling to save face by donating the money to charity. Rep. Steve Crisafulli, a Merritt Island Republican slated to be House speaker in 2016, sent a letter to his Republican colleagues Monday saying that he’s giving away the $3,500 in questionable cash he received to a local veterans group. He suggested other legislators do the same and even attached a list of the suspected companies. Tampa Bay Times http://tinyurl.com/ck94m8s

Former Lt. Gov. Carroll says she was duped by Allied Veterans

Former Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll resigned last week after investigators questioned her about her business relationship with Allied Veterans of the World. That organization, which operated a chain of Internet sweepstakes cafes, was the center of a nationwide racketeering and fraud investigation. Tampa Bay Times http://tinyurl.com/cl2a5g5

Of all the additions Walt Disney World will make during the next few years as it transforms its Downtown Disney shopping district into the larger “Disney Springs,” none will be more important than a pair of parking garages. The twin garages, to be built at opposite ends of the 120-acre retail complex, will have a combined 6,000 spaces — and, Disney hopes, will ease complaints from guests sick of hunting for places to park their cars. Orlando Sentinel http://tinyurl.com/c27gkb3

Drone bill cruises through Senate with Negron at helm

Does the Senate budget chief get deference on his bills because he holds the purse strings? It might look that way following SB 92, which is sponsored by Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee. His bill limits how law enforcement can use drones, prohibiting their use except in cases where there’s a warrant, there’s threat of a terrorist strike or there’s an an emergency such as a hostage crisis or a missing person. Tampa Bay Times http://tinyurl.com/cbrquq3

State Representative Clay Ford dies

Rep. Clay Ford, R-Gulf Breeze, died on Monday, after a battle with cancer, House Speaker Will Weatherford announced Tuesday. Weatherford, Gov. Rick Scott, Speaker-designate Steve Crisafulli and House Minority Leader Perry Thurston expressed their condolences in statements on Tuesday. Miami Heraldhttp://tinyurl.com/brqmuxj

Not Florida

Overhauling the GOP primary calendar: Will it work?

It feels like just yesterday that long nomination fights seemed cool. Not anymore, apparently. So how come the 2012 primaries didn't propel Mitt Romney to the presidency - and is there anything a national party really can do these days to control the process? CBS Newshttp://tinyurl.com/d6f34o6

5 reasons why you should take Rand Paul seriously

A few weeks ago, Rand Paul was far down the list of 2016 GOP presidential prospects — a freshman senator with a devoted but mostly marginal following of young libertarians. Now he’s being mentioned in the same breath as Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush. Politico http://tinyurl.com/d7efq6m

Grassley renews push for stiffer H-1B visa rules

As tech companies entreat Washington to back high-skilled immigration, one influential senator is slinging arrows at their side. Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Chuck Grassley sounded his war cry this week with the reintroduction of a bill that tightens restrictions on a controversial temporary worker visa program. The move comes as Senate negotiators prepare to unveil plans for an immigration overhaul likely to increase those visas. Politico http://tinyurl.com/cnxd47c

Dems ready to slam GOP on Ryan budget

House Democrats intensified their efforts Tuesday to turn the House Republican budget into a weapon against the GOP. In a series of press conferences, floor speeches, YouTube videos and cable news interviews, the Democrats said the Republicans’ budget plan, unveiled last week by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), would hurt the poor, women and minorities — all demographics that propelled President Obama back into the White House and helped his party pick up seats in both congressional chambers last year. The Hillhttp://tinyurl.com/d2cwdeh

Sanford Advances in SC Race, Colbert's Sister Wins

Mark Sanford says he believes in "a God of second chances," and now the former South Carolina governor has taken the first step toward reviving a political career that was derailed by an extramarital affair. Elizabeth Colbert Busch, the sister of political satirist Stephen Colbert, always dreamed of a career in politics — and now she has a chance to realize that dream. Associated Press http://tinyurl.com/cz289sq